Combined suspenders and shoulder-brace.



No. 653,664. Patente'd'luly I7, I900.

G. J. DE GARMD. COMBINED SUSPENDEBS AND SHOULDER BRAGE.

(Application filed. Jan. 12, 1899.)

(No Model) UNITED STATES PATENT ()EFICE.

GEORGE J. DE GARMO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED SUSPENDERS AND SHOULDER-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,664, dated July 17, 1900.

Application filed January 12, 1899- Serial No. 701,983. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. DE GARMO, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, (Flushing, Long Island,) State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Suspender- Braces, of which the following is a specification.

The subject of myinvention is a combined shoulder-brace and suspenders designed to perform functions of both and self-adjusting for men of different sizes.

Shoulder-braces have been for many years constructed with steel springs inserted in pockets in the back portions of the shoulderstraps and crossed at the center, affording a moderate pressure at back, and thereby assisting in the healthful expansion of the chest. By my improvement I have so constructed and connected these back springs that they are automatically adjustable to suit men of different size and stoutness and will in all cases lie in the easy and effective position intended.

My in vention further consists in combining with a shoulder-brace thus constructed the necessary tabs for suspenders to support the trousers at front and back, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of my improved suspender-braces, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

1 1 represent elastic shoulder-straps crossed at back and provided with steel springs 3,

confined in pockets formed by leather coverings 4, stitched to the elastic straps 1, as shown. The back straps 1 and the inclosed steel springs 3 are connected centrally at the crossing-point by a rivet 5, which I preferably clench with sufficient looseness to permit the angular movement of the steel springs 3 and straps 1, connected therewith, so as to render the device self-adjusting in angle and width, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Depending from the central joint of rivet 5 is a vertical elastic back strap 6, to which are attached by a buckle 7 in customary manner the rear button-tabs'8 for use as suspenders.

9 9 represent the usual elastic connectingstraps passing beneath the arms, attached permanently by their forward ends at 10 to the shoulder-straps 1 and at their rear ends connected by buckles 11 to the rear ends 1 of the crossed back and shoulder straps 1. The forward extremities of the shoulder-straps are extended at 1" for the reception of the customary buckles and hooks 12, by which the front Suspender-tabs 13 are connected thereto. If preferred, the joint formed by the rivet 5 may be made so tight as to adapt the crossed springs and the back straps to which they are connected to be set at any desired angle to suit the person and to so remain in use, or, if preferred, the joint may be made so loose as to render the device self-adjusting, as stated. In either case the apparatus constitutes a convenient, comfortable,and healthful combined shoulder-brace and suspenders possessing the advantages of both and obviating difficulties which have rendered many analogous devices unsatisfactory in use.

Having thus described my invention, the

following is what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a combined shoulder-brace and sus penders the combination of the crossed back strap 1 having pockets at the point of intersection for reception of springs, the springs 3 inserted in said pockets, the rivet 5 passing through the crossed straps 1 and through the crossed springs 3, the back strap 6 depending from the connecting-rivet 5 of the shoulder-straps, button-tabs 8 connected to said pendent back strap, side straps 9 connecting the front portion 1", of one shoulder-strap t0 the rear extremity 1 of the other shoulderstrap and button-tabs 13, 13 attached to the front ends 1 of the respective shoulder-straps, as herein shown and described.

GEORGE J. DE GARMO.

Witnesses:

B. A. ITTNER, WALTER T. LINDSAY. 

